Crystal Rose
by Arcane.L'cie
Summary: A take on Disney's Beauty and the Beast with FFXIII  AU -Fang in Ragnarok Form  "The palace had indeed been gorgeous, with lavish decorations and homely warmth to it, but that had been destroyed by the heavy linger of suffering."
1. Prologue

**a/n: CORRUPTING YOUR CHILDHOOD. PLEASE STAND BY. Oho, ladies and gents, I've done it again. I've successfully combined Final Fantasy with Disney's Beauty and the Beast; FangxLight edition. I warn you readers, the prologue, in true Disney fashion, begins with those famous words "Once" and "upon" and "time" **

**You have been warned…although; the story won't be Disney-cliched. Without further adieu…**

Prologue:

In the Lowerworld of Gran Pulse, a land estranged to Cocoon, a young empress lived in a grand temple. Although she had everything her heart desired, the empress was spoiled, selfish, and unkind. But then, one winter's night, an old beggar from a neighboring village came to the gates of the temple and offered her the gift of eternal life in exchange for shelter and food. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the empress sneered at the gift and turned the old beggar away, but she warned her not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. The empress dismissed her a second time, yet when she did, the old beggar's ugliness faded away to reveal a beautiful goddess. Enraged, the goddess branded her with the mark of the hated l'Cie, and said to the empress, "You have disgraced yourself, and for that, you must suffer the consequences. But I am not heartless," The Goddess formed a crystal shard from the petals of a nearby rosebush and offered it to the young woman. "You have been given a Focus to complete. Find a girl in need, nurture her and protect her. From nurturing, friendship will grow, and from friendship, love."

The empress asked of her fate if she should fail, to which the Goddess replied, "Fail, and you live eternity as a Hellish monster."

The Empress, desperate to remain human, begged the goddess to forgive her, but it was too late, as the goddess had seen that the empress had no love in her soul. The Goddess, as punishment, transformed the empress into a hideous beast, and placed a powerful spell over the temple, and all who lived there.

The Empress, ashamed of her monstrous form, locked herself inside her temple, with only the shard of crystal to show her the outside world. The mark given by the goddess was feared, and would continue to grow until the empress' twenty-first birthday. If she could learn to love, and earn love in return by the opening of the eye, then the mark would vanish and her Focus would be complete. If not, she would be doomed to becoming Cie'th for all time. As the years passed, she fell into despair, and lost all hope, for who could ever love a beast?


	2. A Girl Named Claire

**a/n: **

**EDIT: This is a revised version of Chapter one. **

**Okay, so there are A LOT of revisions to this chapter from the first. I'm going through and editing what I've already posted, as the story I've provided was the un-beta-ed one. I'm doing this because, although you may disagree, I want to please my readers. I had one comment saying that they were worried that the story was simply becoming a retelling but with name changes…clearly I didn't characterize Lightning as well as I could've, as many compared her to being too Belle-like, and not enough Light-like…**

**EDIT: 3/19/12: Back again, long hiatus. So sorry. I'm going back and editing this after reading past reviews. It's rather nice to know that so many people have reviewed this, makes me feel like I'm doing a good job at something. So, I'm keeping some reviews in mind, and fixing inaccuracies. **

~XIII~

Chapter one: A Girl Named Claire

Claire Farron was a person that very few knew on a personal level, and having been raised in the seaside city of Bodhum, where only a maximum of seventy were natives-the rest being tourists-and the connections to people restricted, it was considered an honor to even be in the vicinity of the rose-haired woman. Everyone who did know her knew that the eldest Farron preferred to be addressed as 'Lightning' and wouldn't hesitate in breaking a nose or fracturing an arm if called by anything other than Lightning.

Bodhum wasn't a city of mass excitement, that isn't to say it lacked personality, but it wasn't much of a sleepy little town either. It had its occasional, out-of-hand beach parties, and its annual firework show, but not much else happened. Unlike Nautilus, Palumpolum even, Bodhum exuded an atmosphere of laziness, which was further enhanced by the lull of the waves and the soft cry of the seagulls. Houses were few—many choosing to live in condos near the shopping center—and those houses were situated on the shore, some even situated in the water.

~XIII~

Snow Villiers treaded across the loose sand, boots sinking slightly in the sand, as he passed by lounging beach-goers and dodged misaimed Frisbees. Snow was of an abnormally tall stature, standing six-foot seven at only twenty, and had the strength of an overgrown bear. He slowed to a steady trudge as he drew near the beachside café, shaking sand from the soles of his boots and advanced up the wooden steps.

The café was warm, and smelled heavily of macchiato and wine. The familiar tune of song that Snow couldn't name wafted through the speakers, merging with the low buzz of daily gossip. The clink of glass against glass drew Snow's attention, and he weaved his way over to the counter. Peering over the top, he saw a dark-haired woman bent over and fumbling to pick up the cups that had fallen.

"Hey, Lebreau? You okay down there?" Snow asked, flinching slightly when the woman startled, whacking her head into the underside of the counter. Snow gave her an unseen look of concern as the woman let out a muffled "fuck" and moved to stand, uninterrupted.

Her hand was pressed to the back of her head, tangled in shoulder-length black hair as she faced Snow. One brown eye was shut, eyebrows furrowed slightly upwards in pain, and a sheepish grin on her soft face.

"Hey boss," Lebreau said, dropping her hand from her head and moving both hands to rest on the counter. "What can I do for you?"

"Nothing, I just dropped by to say 'hey' and then I'm going to see Serah." Snow said simply, taking a seat on one of the stools, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the glass countertop. Lebreau gave a slight grimace as she picked up a rag and began wiping the inside of the cup clean, shaking her head lightly as she did. "Going to see Serah? Now that'll be fun. Don't come back with a broken jaw like last time, okay?" she paused, giving Snow a light smile as he chuckled. "I'm surprised she hasn't made you toothless yet."

"Yeah, I know." Snow joked, tapping his knuckles on the counter. "Anyway, I should get going now." Snow slid from the stool and onto his feet, but kept his hand, now splayed, on the surface. "See you later, 'Breau. Tell the others I said 'hey' for me, okay?"

Lebreau nodded and Snow turned from the counter, making his way to the door and squeezing past an onslaught of newcomers as he left.

The air was warm compared to the air-conditioned interior of the café, and Snow welcomed it with a small smile. From the café's patio, he watched the way twilight reflected on the tender curl and break of the sea before leaving in the direction of the Farron household.

Snow half-jogged, half-walked as he went and his anxiety to see Serah rose in his chest as he drew closer to the oddly shaped house. The house bore a striking resemblance to the shell of a peanut, and overlooked the water, held up by two pillars at each end of the house. Given the design of the entire city itself, it wasn't too strange and fit in quite easily with the strange architecture.

The longer Snow looked at it, the more he saw the house as less peanut-shaped, and more space shuttle-shaped. A portion of the roof was open, supported by a mechanical rod, and Snow figured that either Lightning or Serah was on the deck.

Snow paused at the foot of the houses' tunneled staircase, which uncannily resembled the escalators in the airport, and looked up. A voice spoke in the back of his mind, telling him to leave now and save the broken jaw for another day. But Snow was determined to overcome his fear of Lightning's fist, and began his long walk up the steps. As he stepped onto the landing he heard the door shut and looked up. Staring at him was a pink-haired woman, yet this pink-haired woman wasn't _the_ pink-haired woman he wanted to see.

"Lightning, hey…" Snow said tentatively, the corner of his lip twitching in a concerned-for-his-life kind of smile as he averted his eyes from the shorter woman's icy blue ones.

"What are you doing here, Snow?" Lightning inquired, shifting her weight to the right and resting her left hand on her hip. She kept her eyes trained on him, watching with undivided interest as he fumbled over his words.

"I-I came to see Serah," Snow straightened and locked eyes with Lightning, determinate to at least catch a glimpse of Lightning's approval. "If that's all right with you, I mean. I can leave if I need to."

Snow watched with bated breath as the woman mulled it over in her head. Snow knew that Lightning would most likely say no like she'd always done. There had even been a time when Lightning scrawled the word on his forehead in thick, black marker. Snow understood why she hated him so, and although he wasn't completely positive in his assumption, he knew that it had to do with Serah.

"No…" The woman simply said, directing her blue eyes towards his face. "You don't have to leave." Snow was shocked at what Lightning had just said. It took him a moment for his mind to catch up and register the words, and when it did Snow simply gawked at her.

"W-what?" He said stupidly, mouth still hanging open. Lightning scowled at the man's utter idiocy but kept patient.

"I'm going out for a while. I won't be here, and that means I won't have to tolerate your presence," Lightning paused, folding her arms across her chest and looking out the glass at the last light of late afternoon.

"Which means you can stay with Serah until I get back. Now if you'll excuse me," Lightning brushed past Snow and began her descent down the steps, leaving Snow standing with an expression of disbelief and eagerness on his face. He gave Lightning's receding back one last glance before stepping into the house, and came to the conclusion that Lightning possibly didn't want him dead.

~XIII~

The sand was soft beneath her bare feet as she wandered down the length of the shore. It was quiet, undisturbed and untouched by the ungrateful hand of humanity. It was the only place that Lightning could find solitude, a place she could escape to when even Serah's words weren't enough to provide consolation to her.

Vibrant oranges and gentle streaks of pink peeked from behind the endless ripple of waves, highlighting Lightning's hair, and silhouetting her frame as she walked. The briny aroma of the sea invaded her senses, and Lightning was sure that it would cling to her skin and her hair for the few days afterwards.

She had drifted to the far end of the beach, where she came across a cluster of boulders and wordlessly perched herself on one, and tucked her knees to her chest, letting her blues eyes travel the length of an undefined horizon.

Yet, unbeknownst to Lightning, a set of steely, gray eyes were watching her from a distance.

~(.)~

Yaag Rosch stood in the elongated shadow of a nearby building, eyes trained on the beauty that was his soon-to-be-bride, Lightning. He had sought after the woman of every day for the past three years, but to no avail, he just couldn't seem to intrigue Lightning. This was something new to Yaag, as he always won the hearts of those he pursued. Straightening his jacket, Yaag stepped from his position behind the building and strode towards the woman.

"Hello, Lightning," Yaag said, offering the pink-haired woman an over-arrogant smirk as he draped an arm around her shoulders.

"Can I help you with anything, Yaag?" Lightning sighed, forcing Yaags' arm from her shoulder and inching away from the man before sliding fully from the rock and onto the sand.

"I was just wondering if you'd like to join me tonight. Let's head down to the café, shall we?" Yaag offered as he moved to stand in front of Lightning, blocking her from leaving by placing a hand on her shoulder only to have it batted away by Lightnings'.

The rose-haired woman let out a small laugh of mockery and said, "How 'bout not, Yaag. Maybe some other time…or not," Lightning ducked past the silver-haired man and began to walk away, only to be stopped by a strong grip on her jacket that kept her from moving.

"Listen, Lightning, I know we've had trouble in the past but we can work through it." Yaag spoke as if he and Lightning were already dating, which grated on Lightning's nerves stronger than ever.

"Listen, Yaag, I really need to get going. Maybe you should take Jihl tonight, instead? Thanks for the offer though." With those final words, Lightning trekked back across the beach in the direction of her house, leaving a fuming and dejected Yaag in her wake.

~XIII~

Entering her home to see Serah tucked in the arms of Snow-both happily asleep-was not something she ever wanted to see. Lightning hated to admit, but they did look good together. Still, it wouldn't keep Lightning from slapping Snow across the face in order to wake him up. With a jolt he snapped up from his lounging position, accidentally jostling Serah, who opened bleary eyes in annoyance.

"Snow…" She muttered groggily, shifting so that she was on her knees, bringing a hand to wipe the sleep from her eyes. "What'd you do that for?" She turned her head and yawned, stretching her arms over her head, but froze as her gaze landed on Lightning.

"Claire, t-this isn't-!" Serah stuttered, blue eyes wide and face flushed a bright pink. "We didn't do anything, honest!"

Lightning stifled a snort and placed both hands on her hips.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter anyway because it's time for Snow to leave." She moved forward, grabbing Snow by his collar and dragging him to his feet before giving him a rough shove in the direction of the door.

Snow knew that this battle was not his to win, and admitted defeat by giving a wink to Serah and said, "Don't worry, I'll see you later." Lightning let out a sound of disdain and left the room, which Serah took as a chance to rush over to Snow and kiss his whiskered face before he left.

They broke apart when Lightning's voice called from the kitchen. "Rule number seventeen: no kissing within the vicinity of me. Get out Snow, now!"

Snow released Serah from his embrace and rushed to leave the door. He knew that tone all too well and wasn't in the mood to be on the receiving end of Lightning's brutal backhand slap.

~XIII~

**a/n: well, I'm sure that you've noticed the changes. Lightning doesn't go into town for her gunblade…take this as a hint of foreshadowing…*coughcoughcough* and now I'm happy. The writing and my description isn't as simple as before, which pleases me. And events have changed. I actually went my whole school day re-writing my outline, which I don't think was too great of an idea to do in math class…Hopefully Lightning is characterized better than before, in such a way that she retains her cynicism but much less soldier-y about it, and that I exploit her softer, 'Claire' side which some people still write as 'Lightning-y'. **


	3. Doubts

**a/n: **

**EDIT: This is a revised version of Chapter two**

**Erg…looking back at what I presented makes me think "how the fuck could I even let this see the light of day?" **

Chapter two: Doubts

~XIII~

Serah stood in the doorway that led to the kitchen, staring at Lightning with an exasperated look on her face. Lightning looked from her seat at the table, her face betraying nothing as she matched her sisters' steady gaze. Serah broke away first and briskly walked over to Lightning.

"Claire! Where's your decency?" Serah's near childlike aggression had managed to crack Lightning's stoic expression, pushing her near laughing, but she regained her composure and kept her face straight.

It didn't last long, as just watching her sister stand across from her, hands on her hips and a would-be-scowl-if-not-for-the-utter-cuteness on her face. Something that Serah never failed to do, even when downright pissed, was to puff out one cheek, which only gave the illusion of her deep in thought rather than utterly miffed.

Extending her arm, Lightning pressed a finger into the balloon-ified cheek and applied slight pressure, just enough so that the air slowly left. Now that was something even Lightning couldn't help but laugh at. It wasn't a true laugh, but it was enough to make Serah drop the 'I'm-pissed-at-you-Claire Farron' act and disperse the gloomy cloud from over her head.

"Come on, Claire…you have manners, use them. You don't just slap someone awake and then tell them to leave; it's just not in society's handbook." Serah explained with a mild look of disappointment on her face.

Lightning looked up into Serah's matching blue eyes, and upon seeing the unspoken pleas in them, she sighed, dropping a hand to the table. "Fine, I'll try and be nice to him…it's just…" Lightning glanced at the clock, which read 10:37 PM, before turning back towards her sister. "It's nothing, never mind. Night Serah."

Lightning pushed the chair back as she stood, pausing to tap her sister lightly on her shoulder, and trudged down the hallway towards their shared bedroom.

~(.)~

An hour later, Serah crept into the room and padded over the king sized bed in the middle of the room, where she could make out the faint outline of her sisters' sleeping form buried beneath the covers. Serah gave Lightning a regretful look, blue eyes closing in sadness as she listened to the steady breathing of her sister.

It pained Serah to see Lightning—no, Claire—so overlooking of her own well-being. Serah slipped beneath the covers, a good distance from Lightning, and stared up at the ceiling.

She missed the days when Claire could laugh freely and longed to see her real smile again. Serah longed for the day when Claire found real happiness. Serah turned towards Claire's back, which rose and fell steadily with each breath. Serah missed the feeling of hugging Claire, as all forms of contact were restricted to a simple brush of the arm or tap on the head. Wriggling her way across the bed, Serah stopped when she was only inches from her sister, and wrapped her arms around Claire's waist.

She suppressed a smile when she heard Claire mumble incoherently before pushing the covers from her upper body. Claire stilled again, a hand resting over Serah's as she slept on. Serah pressed her forehead against her sisters' back and fell into a peaceful sleep, happy to be near Claire again instead of Lightning.

~XIII~

Morning had come far too quickly for Serah's liking. She was the early riser, much to the surprise of many-always having assumed Lightning as the early riser-and slid from the bed, her bare feet tensing as they came into contact with the cold metal flooring. Serah turned to look at Lightning, who had shifted during the night-Serah being the victim of a particularly well-aimed slap-was sprawled on her back, one arm resting across her eyes, the other on the flat expanse of her stomach and her right leg exposed and bent at the knee while the left remained beneath the covers.

Serah found it amusing that Claire was the heavy sleeper, often finding it strange that it wasn't the other way around. She rose from the bed and padded across to her closet where she began to dress for the day's events. It was May 8th, which meant it was hers and Snows' year anniversary. But it also meant that Serah had to bid goodbye for the day to a resentful Lightning, and that was something Serah could openly admit to disliking about her relationship with Snow.

As much as she loved him, and although it seemed like there was a space bigger in her heart for him, she loved Claire much more. Snow was just another element of protection in her life, and naturally she held Claire accountable for her upbringing after their parents died. It hadn't been Snow who paid for her tuition, or taken care of her for six years on a military salary. No, it had been all Claire's doing and Serah worried constantly about what her sister would do once Snow married her. Serah would go off with Snow and leave Claire alone.

Serah finished tying the lace of her shoe and stood from her crouched position, thoughts still flowing from some strange part of her brain that always caused her distractions.

_'Claire's never really been a total romantic…she's dated and stuff, but it was never anything serious. I feel bad…' _Serah rambled in her head as she entered the small section of kitchen and wandered over to the pantry, pulling a bag of coffee beans from the top shelf and going back towards the coffee machine. _'I'm off to marry Snow soon and without a second thought towards Claire…I'm so selfish.' _

Serah spooned the beans into the top part without paying much attention to what she was doing, and missed the opening, causing about two dozen or so beans to spill onto the floor. _'I'm so clumsy too…Snow's not much better…'_ Serah thought as she fell to her knees and began picking the black beans from the floor and dropping them into her hand. She stood and opened a cabinet door to reveal the trash bin, carefully depositing the spoiled beans into the plastic bag that lined the bin.

'_At least I can cook, though…' _Another thought popped into Serah's head as she pressed the 'Blend' button on the machine, undisturbed by the loud whirring of the beans being mashed. _'But what about cleaning? Claire's better at that stuff than I am…' _The whirring stopped and Serah pressed the 'Pour' button, holding a mug under the spout which slowly filled as coffee spilled into it.

~(.)~

A sharp aroma crept down the hall and circled around Lightning's head, filling her nostrils with the bitter-sweet scent of fresh coffee, made Serah-style. The rose-haired woman stirred, pulling the covers to her body as she turned onto her side. She hated when Serah made coffee so early in the morning, as the smell served as her silent alarm clock and unwanted invite to the world.

Lightning buried her face in her pillow, trying to return to the deep abyss of sleep and resist the temptation that the fresh coffee served.

Lightning trudged through the living room and into the kitchen to find Serah gone, and a note propped up against her coffee. Frowning slightly, she picked up the note, reading it over with narrowed eyes.

'_Claire, _

_ I've gone out with Snow, he was earlier than I expected. I'm sorry I didn't get to say good morning to you. I'll see you later tonight, okay. So don't worry too much. I love you._

_-Serah'_

Lightning pocketed the note before seating herself and picking up the mug. She doubted that Snow would get up to much trouble, but still…it was Snow, and knowing him he would find a way to entangle himself, and Serah this time, in some form of trouble.


	4. Search for a Sister

**a/n: I can't get the movie to play on my retarded laptop…way to fail me, Toshiba, way to fail. Anywhodehey, feel free to tell me if anything seems too OOC, even for an AU. Ah, this chapter is meant to be ridiculously short…at least shorter than the others. **

Chapter three: A search for a Sister

~XIII~

Serah had doubts about where they were, bordering a forest outside of the city, far from civilization. She could shoot Snow, well, perhaps not shoot him, but give him a slap, for getting them lost.

"Snow! We're lost, face it…we should turn back." Serah clung tighter to her fiancée, who sped along the outskirts of the dismal looking forest with intent.

"C'mon Serah, where's your adventure?" Snow playfully chided the rose-haired woman, and sped up even more. He veered sharply, steering his Velocycle into the woods, despite Serah's protests.

The forest was dark, and almost nerve wracking if not for Snow's headlights. Serah gripped the back of his grey trench coat, her knuckles paling with each passing second. She didn't like this idea, not at all. What would happen if they really got lost?

"S-Snow…I really think we should go back now…please?" Serah was practically begging the man to turn back and save adventure for another day.

But Snow drove on, venturing deeper into the forest, seemingly deaf to Serah's pleas.

~XIII~

Dusk had fallen now, and Serah was sure that they were lost. Even Snow had admitted to them being lost, and profusely apologized. But now they sat in silence, on the dirt terrain, contemplating what they should do.

"Snow, I can't believe you got us lost! How could you be so stupid and obstinate?" Serah was berating him further, circling him as she spoke.

A rustle somewhere nearby broke Snow from his zoning out, and he perked up, shushing Serah. "Hey, shhh…do you hear that?"

"Hear what? Snow, d-don't play games…" Serah's almost Lightning-like resolve immediately crumbled upon hearing the tone of Snow's voice.

"No, I heard something over there…" The rustling sounded again, and Snow whipped around, facing north. "Now it's over there…it's moving."

The night around them was murky, distorting the forest and casting sinister facades upon the trees, and pathways. Escape was a fickle thing, and they'd be risking a lot if they chose to flee.

"Snow…what is it?" Serah slowly edged towards Snow, using him as her protector.

A low growl resonated in the shadows to her right, and she yelped, jumping away from the source of the sound.

"Serah…I want you to run if anything gets too bad. Run, and don't hesitate." Snow's voice was serious, and his fists were raised. So whatever it was out there, it was a threat. And a big one.

"A-alright, Snow…but, I love you."

A sharper roar alerted Snow of an attack, and a massive creature leapt from the shadows, pinning Snow to the forest floor. It was unidentifiable in the dark, and Serah stumbled back from the attack, tripping over a branch in the process.

A snapping twig alerted the beast of her presence, and it snapped its head up, bright eyes fixated on Serah. It began prowling forward, deaf to Snow's weak protests.

Snow could see the beast begin towards Serah, and made an attempt to get up and save his girl, but the beast had done too much damage. His vision was going blurry, and soon he'd be out. He witnessed the beast swipe at Serah, who inched further away, before seeing it sweep up the girl and dash off into the woods, before blacking out.

~XIII~

Snow rode back to Bodhum with his head hanging. He had failed to protect his girlfriend from harm. Not only had he been knocked out, he had left her defenseless in the unknown woods of Pulse. What was worse was that he failed to keep his promise to Lightning.

Snow found it unbearable to even be heading back to Bodhum, but he knew that he needed to tell Lightning what happened, regardless of how many broken bones he'd end up with. Pulling into the sandy front lawn of the Farron household, Snow gathered his courage and, without hesitation, knocked on the door. When the door opened, Lightning immediately grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him inside.

"Where the fuck is Serah, Snow?" Lightning said through gritted teeth, and Snow could tell that she was trying to control her anger. He felt awful for causing the woman more pain, none of which ever would've happened if he had just listened to Serah instead of being a boneheaded ass and ignoring her. A rough jerk from Lightning pulled him from his thoughts, and he could feel the restraint in her fists. "Where is she?"

"I'm…sorry, Lightning. We got lost, and Serah…she tried to reason with me, said we should go back…but I-I didn't listen…" Snow never once broke eye contact with the seething, pink-haired woman who was mere inches from his face. As he spoke, the hardness in her steely blue eyes softened, much to Snow's safety. "We got lost," he repeated, still trapped in the steady grip of Lightning.

"And I rode into the woods…it all happened so quickly…there was this creature," Snow paused, contemplating on how he would go about saying this. "It attacked me…but just me, it ignored Serah. I was knocked unconscious, so I don't know what happened...all i remember is blacking out, after seeing it standing on its hind legs, Serah tucked under its arm and it running off before I could tackle it…Lightning, I'm sorry." Snow's brow creased with worry as the woman's grip on his shirt slackened as she let her hands fall to her side.

The woman fell uneasily silent, her eyes darkened by shadows and her mouth set in a firm line. She was shaking, the muscles in her arms rippling slightly as they tensed and relaxed.

She turned her back to Snow, pausing before whirling back around and smashing her fist into his jaw. The force from the blow had sent Snow hurtling from his seat. Stars shrouded his vision and he blinked vigorously in an attempt to clear them. Regaining his vision in time to see Lightning storming from the kitchen and out of the house was enough motivation for him to follow.

"Lightning, wait," Snow protested as he heaved himself from the floor and after the ill-tempered woman. "You don't understand… if you go back there, then that…_thing_…it'll kill you." Snow was standing on the top step of the porch, his eyes trained on the woman's back.

"So what, you want me to just leave my sister there? Is that what you want, Snow? For me to abandon my sister, my only living family…clearly it's _you_ that doesn't understand…" Lightning retorted as she unleashed an oversized Lobo from its post, a slender hand running over its coarse fur before mounting it. She steered the animal in the direction of Pulse's wild terrain, but was blocked by Snow.

"Lightning, you can't do this. Serah told you to not do anything reckless…don't do this, for the sake of Serah." Snow removed his hands from Lightnings' shoulders and crossed them over his chest as he pleaded.

"Haven't you done enough damage, Snow?" Lightning asked quietly as she rode past him, letting the question settle before digging her heel into the Lobo's side and spurring him forward.

~XIII~

She dangled one of Serah's hair-ties in front of his nose, allowing him to identify the scent that would lead her to her sister's whereabouts. Pawing at the ground, Lightning stood from her crouch and mounted Bahamut again.

They had stopped when they reached the very edge of the forest, as Lightning needed the time to determine what her plan was. Tapping Bahamut with her heel, she ushered him down the narrow trail.

It had grown dark, and entering this nest of reaper-like trees and thistles made it no better. A Pulsian forest in May shouldn't have such a threatening atmosphere. As Bahamut carried Lightning down the narrow trail, they passed a mangled bush of black roses, and Lightning's leg had snagged on one of the haphazard vines of thorns. She ignored it, choosing to continue onwards, yet the undeniable stickiness of blood kept her mind preoccupied.

Bahamut turned into a hidden clearing, where it was obvious that a struggle had ensued. Something caught Lightning's eye, and she dismounted the lobo to inspect what it was. Squinting in the weak light, it took her a moment to realize what it was. Lowering herself down on one knee, Lightning picked it from the ground, brushing dirt from it.

It was a beaded bracelet with three silver charms hanging from it; one was that childish pendant of Snow's Team NORA, the middle one she recognized as the one she gave Serah for her birthday last year, and the last was a golden ring that had belonged to their mother. Lightning pocketed the bracelet and looked around the clearing.

If she had found this, then Serah was probably close by. Lightning turned to glance at Bahamut, who was pawing at the ground impatiently, before finally brushing the dirt from her knee and mounting the lobo once again.

~XIII~

**A/n: This chapter was short, I apologize. But it had originally been part of chapter four, which had ended up being nine pages long with this, so I had to separate them. **


	5. Equivalent Exchange

**a/n:woo-damn! This is a long chapter…anyway, I feel like writing Disney crossovers helps understand that Lightning isn't emotionally void. Also, listen to the King of Thorn Main Theme on youtube when reading the castle and Fang part. It's what I wrote this too, so that's kind of the mood I suppose…It truly is a brilliant piece, very haunting, very pretty. **

Chapter Four: A life for a life

"Serah, where are you?" Lightning shouted again, blue eyes scanning the monstrous-like trees of the forest in search for her sister. She reared back on Bahamut and directed him to turn around again. She urged him forward but he refused, whining in protest and thrashing his head to the side violently, as if to tell her no. Leaning forward, Lightning placed a gentle hand on the bristled fur of the oversized Lobo, and muttered in his ear, "Do it for Serah, please? Do it for me, Bahamut."

As if truly understanding what the woman said, Bahamut calmed and began sprinting forward. Lightning grasped a mass of fur to keep herself on as they lurched deeper into the woods. Lightning wasn't sure, but she swore that there was a stronghold in the distance.

Suddenly, Bahamut skidded to a stop, and Lightning was thrown forward. A sharp pain entered Lightning's side as she fell. Looking down, she saw the remains of a metal spike lodged in her side. Pinching the area around the bit of metal, Lightning grasped the spike in her other hand and pulled it out roughly, suppressing a yelp as she did. Behind her, she could hear Bahamut growling and snarling and turned to look at him. A branch snapped, startling the Lobo, and he darted off.

With Bahamut gone, Lightning was left stranded in the middle of some fal'cie forsaken Pulsian forest where some Behemoth would make her its next meal. Lightning picked herself from the floor, ridding her clothes from dirt and leaves, and tilted her head back so that she was faced with the starless sky.

The moon's familiar luminescence went hidden beneath a thick veil of hazy grey that cast a blue-ish hue to Lightning's surroundings. The wind had picked up, disrupting the skeletal limbs of the trees and weaving thin tendril through her hair. The drumming of thunder echoed in the distance, threatening to unleash its wrath on her if she didn't leave.

With no other choice, Lightning began her ascent up the staircase to the looming structure. As she drew nearer, the heaviness in her stomach increased and she felt lightheaded almost. What sort of…monster lived here? What had it done with Serah? A thousand scenarios flashed through the woman's mind as she walked, which only added to the sinking feeling in her heart. Would she find Serah dead on the floor?

Lightning had reached the top of the staircase with ease. The door was cracked open, only allowing a faint beam of non-existent light to filter in. She gave the door a tender nudge, to which it responded to with a screech of protest.

Lightning slipped inside and was met by a cold dampness that swathed her body immediately. A grand staircase that divided into an east and west corridor was situated in the center of what Lightning assumed was the main hall. From what she had gathered, the palace had indeed been gorgeous, with lavish decorations and homely warmth to it, but that had been destroyed by the heavy linger of suffering and years of hopelessness.

"Serah? Are you in here…?" Lightning couldn't bring herself to speak above a whisper, feeling that if she, did the ambience would be disturbed. She hated the way her voice sounded so meek…like Yaag was right about her just being a woman.

Thinking of Yaag caused Lightning to grit her teeth and continue forward. She soon slowed, realization dawning on her, and Lightning was at a lost, for she didn't know where she would even find Serah. A clatter followed by hushed voices erupted from the left of her, muffled by a thick door. Curiosity spiked, Lightning slinked closer to the door, pressing her ear firmly against the wooden surface.

_"We mustn't make noise! The Mistress wishes to be undisturbed." _A high, accented voice said in a way that made it sound like they were caring for a group of children. Very specific, Lightning agreed on. She continued to listen to the odd conversation.

_"There's an unwanted guest out in the main hall, probably lost and scared…we're awful hosts." _Another spoke,male this time, and quite unsure of himself.

'Is he talking about me?' Lightning wondered, pulling away from the door in time for it to open. She lurched back, her heart hammering against her chest. She waited to be reprimanded, for some haggard old maid to emerge from the room, but nobody was there.

Releasing a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, Lightning relaxed a bit and drifted from the kitchen to the stairs where she began climbing. She had chosen to walk down the eastern wing, as a heavy blood stain told her to keep away from the west. She came across a concrete staircase that trailed off into an inky darkness, beckoning her to follow.

And she did, against her better judgment. The staircase wound an endless path lit only by a few, small candles and smelled of mildew and dust. The only accompaniment she had was the sound of her own footsteps echoing in the forlorn silence. When the staircase came to an end, Lightning stepped out into a prison room, with only four rusted cells installed into the walls. A quiet voice called out from one.

"Claire, you came…" Serah said, clasping her hands around the bars as she pressed her forehead against the metal. Lightning rushed to the cell where her sister was, dropping to her knees and covering Serah's hands with her own.

"Serah, you're freezing. Are you hurt? Who did this to you?" Lightning questioned as she placed a palm on her sisters' cheek. The concern that had clouded her eyes slowly faded into relief as she found her sister unharmed, and her blue eyes softened a bit as she looked at her sister. But her sister had a frightened look on her face, her dark blue eyes looking at something past Lightning. She furrowed her brow at her sister.

"Serah, what's wrong?" Lightning received no response, only a shaky hand pointing behind her. Serah let out a gasp as sharp nails pierced her sisters' shoulder, dragging her to her feet and forcing her to turn around.

Lightning's eyes widened as they met two piercing green ones and her hands fell to her sides, allowing her body to be slammed into the stone wall behind her.

"Who are you?" it snarled, tightening its hold on Lightning's shoulder as piercing green eyes bore deeper into her own. Lightning couldn't see what was holding her and that was unsettling. She choked on a cry of pain that threatened to display her weakness, instead struggling to retaliate with her words.

"I came for my sister. Let her go, please…"Lightning kept her voice steady, devoid of any emotion or anger that she felt towards the…thing that was holding her. She watched with triumph as those green eyes narrowed and smirked when she heard the thing snarl and retract its claws from her shoulder. Lightning collapsed to the ground, supported by one knee and clasping her shoulder in her right hand. She staggered towards Serah, who took her hand and held it tightly.

"Claire…just go! Save yourself…" Serah pleaded, covering Lightning's bloodied hand with her other one. Lightning shook her head and pulled her hand from her sisters'.

"No…I'm not gonna do that. I promised mom…" Lightning's words were laced with unshed tears, making her throat burn. Turning, Lightning stood and faced away from her sister.

"Will you let my sister free if I take her place?" the words were strong, and confident. Receiving no response, Lightning grew more daring.

"You coward, show yourself. Step into the light." Silence hung in the air, and for a moment Lightning wondered if their captor left. But a strange elongated foot entering the dim light told her otherwise. Slowly, the creature revealed itself to them. Lightning fell back, landing next to Serah again as the creature was fully illuminated.

The beast was tall, with purple-gradient orange tendrils and an intricate tail. Detailed tattoos embellished the creature's legs, arms, and torso in a manner similar to armor. Lightning kept her eyes trained on the beast, unable to tear her gaze from the intriguing creature that stood before her.

"Satisfied? Now move, unless you want your sister kept here." The beast moved with surprising agility towards the cell, roughly pushing Lightning out of the way, before grabbing the smaller girl by her forearm and dragging her out of the castle.

Lightning watched from the dungeon window, anger tearing through as she watched the beast give her sister a rough shove before stomping back inside the castle. A sense of relief spread through the woman when she saw Bahamut return to where Serah was. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes but Lightning forced them back, clasping a hand around the solitary pendant around her neck. "This is good-bye, then…"

An uncomfortable shuffle came from behind her, and Lightning turned to see that the beast was back. "Well, you gonna stay here forever or you gonna follow me?" the beast said from the doorway, both arms crossed over its chest with an expectant look in its green eyes. Lightning was slightly taken aback by the creature's new tone, which bordered friendly rather than menacing and nodded slightly.

Lightning followed the creature down the hall, her hand still tight around her necklace. Her blue eyes watched the beast walk, watching how the flickering dance of the candle it was holding reflected in the dismal light of the corridor. The silence between them was disgruntling, but Lightning wouldn't complain. She was too lost in her own thoughts to care.

Several more moments of silence drifted between the empty space until a small cough caught her attention. She had fallen behind the beast, and intended to keep it that way but from where she was she took note of the way the creature walked, a slight sway on the hips and the flighty steps were far too feminine to be male. Lightning recalled something that she had heard, something about the mistress wanting to be undisturbed? Lightning abruptly came to a stop mere inches from the beast's back, as she had come to stop in front of a door. The beast turned to her, green eyes tiredly watching her.

"Just a moment, if you don't mind…I'll be out in a second." The beast grasped the brass handle with a paw and gently tugged on it. She gave Lightning a quick flash of a fang before leaving her unattended. Left to wait, Lightning pressed herself against the wall; arms crossed, and let out a passive sigh. Her eyes slid shut and she recounted the day's events. Her left ear quirked slightly when the sound of a hushed conversation caught her attention and she leaned closer to the door in an effort to hear what was being said.

"_Say something to her." _Lightning paused. The strange accent was what caught her attention, and she couldn't help but think how similar the voice sounded to the one she heard earlier.

"_Like what? What do I say? I don't even know her name." _It was the beast who was speaking now, and Lightning felt slightly rude. Of course, it was slightly excusable to forget the concept of manners when confronted with a monstrous thing that gave off an aura of wanting to kill you. In all fairness, Lightning had yet to know the beast's name as well.

As Lightning stood by and listened to the conversation, her mind drifted to the beasts' eyes. They were entrancing, a captivating emerald that wiped every thought from Lightning's mind when she looked at them. She startled slightly when the door opened suddenly, instinctively taking a few steps back. The beast emerged, followed closely by a red-headed girl who was dressed in elaborate decorum and strange clothing. The girl gave Lightning a spirited grin and wave before bouncing down the hallway.

Noticing the quizzical look on the woman's face, the beast motioned for them to continue walking as she said, "That was Vanille, one of my servants and the only human in the castle."

Hearing this made Lightning wonder what the beast meant by 'the only human' and tucked it away in her memory. Instead of asking her question, Lightning merely nodded half-heartedly. An awkward silence slowly filled the space between them, and Lightning could feel the beasts' expectant glances quickly become more apprehensive as they walked.

Deciding to break the unease between them, Lightning asked, "Who else lives here, then? If they're not human, then what are they?"

The beast paused, placing an almost human paw to its face and rubbing her temple. She gave a troubled sigh before saying, "Un, where do I begin?" She fell silent, as if weighing her options, before turning to face Lightning. "Join me for dinner and I'll tell you. Dinner's at seven."

They continued to walk at a slow pace, stopping when they came to the last door of the hall. The beast extracted a set of keys from pouch around its leg and inserted a fairly old one into the lock of the door. Hearing the click recede into the door, the beast opened it for Lightning. With tentative steps, the woman entered the room, barely having enough time to open her mouth when the soft click of the lock sliding back into place stopped her. From outside her room, Lightning could hear the muffled words of the beast saying to her, "Dinner isn't an option."

"And if I say no?" Lightning challenged the tall beast, a cynical tone lacing her words.

"Then you can just starve for all I care." An equally cynical retort. Slowly, the beast held out a mockingly polite hand in the direction of the open door.

The rose-haired woman trudged into the room, resentment flickering in her icy eyes, before having the door closed in her face.

"Tch, whatever…I wasn't hungry anyway." Lightning muttered to herself, sauntering over to the locked window and gazing out of it, a solemn expression on her face.


	6. Dichotomous

**a/n: I'd pull a SMeyer on you guys, but I'll spare you the pain. The recurring question of where Lightning's blade is really doesn't need its own spotlight. Lightning left her gunblade at home, too caught up in punching Snow's lights out and finding Serah. It's important; there is a reason why she left it. (Do I detect foreshadowing?)**

Chapter Five:

The heavy wooden table shuddered beneath Yaag's forceful hand as he slammed on it. The Flan goo had refused to part from his hair, and although he had managed to remove a fair portion of it, it still caked his hair. He was still bristling from the other day, when Lightning rejected his proposal.

"What was she thinking when she rejected me? No one has ever rejected me! That girl has no sense in reality." Yaag voiced as he settled into one of the bar's armchairs and placed his hand beneath his chin. He scanned the room for a sign of Jihl, eyes darting over each unimportant head until he found her standing at the counter, ordering another round of drinks for them.

Yaag had a thundering headache, which was intensified by the low thrum of conversation that swarmed around his head like a fleet of angered wasps. A cold wetness seeped down the back of his shirt, and he jerked away, clasping a hand to his neck.

"More beer, Yaag?" Jihl offered as she held the mug of frothy liquor out to him. Yaag shook his head, relaxing in his seat again as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"It won't help. Just drinking the night away won't undo my humiliation, Jihl." Yaag lamented, burying his head in his hands as he turned from the woman. Jihl placed a hand on his shoulder, patting it softly before leaning over his shoulder and placing her lips near inches from his ear.

"If it's any consolation, Yaag," Jihl paused, averting her eyes for a slight moment before directing them at Yaag again. "You're still fully dignified to me." She felt Yaag shake his head before losing her grasp on him as he rose from the chair. She looked at him quizzically.

"I will not lose Lightning! I'll force her to love me, if all else fails." Yaag's mind was made up, his decision further encouraged by a round of cheering from the rest of the bar.

~XIII~

Lightning was awoken by the chinking noise of a key turning and a lock unbarring itself. A soft knock followed by a curious voice roused her from the mind-numbing effects of dreaming, and Lightning sat up, straightening her pink locks before crossing the room and opening the door. She was greeted with a cheery grin plastered on the face of the girl from before, who was holding a silver tray with a teapot and cup on it in both hands.

"I thought you might like some tea?" the fiery-haired girl questioned as she looked up at Lightning, her eyebrows creased in confusion.

The girl spoke again, "Um, can I come in?" Lightning nodded, and moved aside to allow the girl entry.

She shut the door once the girl was fully inside, and took a seat on the edge of her bed. She watched as the girl set up a small table before setting the tray on it. The red-head turned to look at Lightning, her pale green eyes taking in every detail of the woman from her rose-colored hair to her narrow but soft features. _'Absolutely gorgeous…' _

The red-head made a small noise before looking down at the teapot and chipped cup, parting her lips and said, "Mrs. Estheim? Hope? If you don't mind…" The girl leaned over, resting her hands on her knees as she looked at the set intently.

'_Has the girl gone mad? She's talking to a tea set…" _Lightning thought as she watched the strange, one-sided conversation. Her thoughts trailed off when a pair of eyes blinked open on both the pot and the cup, and her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Of course not," the pot, Mrs. Estheim, replied, giving the red-head a motherly smile before nudging the cup beside her with her spout. "Hope, come now, wake up." The teacup gave a groggy complaint as it blinked furiously, dispersing the sleep from its eyes.

Lightning sat on the edge of the bed, eyes wide in disbelief as she observed the scene before her. '_Teapots should __**not **__be talking!' _She thought, watching as Mrs. Estheim poured tea into her son, Hope.

"I told you she was pretty, didn't I, mom?" Hope said with a satisfactory smile at being right.

His mother gave a small laugh, and said, "That you did, Hope. Now, don't be rude to our guest." Mrs. Estheim nudged him towards the edge of the tray, where the red-head picked Hope up with careful hands and brought him over to where Lightning was.

When the girl reached Lightning, she gave her an innocent laugh.

"It's not that weird…not after a while, anyway." She said as she perched next to Lightning and offered Hope to her. Lightning took the cup with extra care, not wanting to jostle the cup, and muttered her thanks to the girl next to her.

"I'm Vanille, by the way. I'm sure Fang told you, though." Vanille continued to talk to Lightning as the woman slowly sipped the tea.

Lightning quirked an eyebrow at Vanille, lowering Hope from her lips, she asked, "Who's Fang?" Lightning felt ignorant as she watched Vanille's expression change from smiling to serious. Vanille looked down at her hands, struggling to find the words that even began to answer the question.

"Fang is the mistress of this temple," Vanille paused as she looked up from her hands and at a point on the opposite wall.

"She's the 'beast'. She may seem dangerous, but she's really not. Her humanity has been taken from her…" Vanille trailed off, bringing a hand to cover her mouth lightly. She placed a gentle hand on Lightning's shoulder, and directed her soft green eyes towards her. "It'll be okay, you know."

Lightning scoffed. "Yeah, I'm sure losing my sister is one of the steps in having everything turn out okay."

Vanille stood from the bed, Hope in hand, and walked over to the tray table. "I should be going. I have to help prepare dinner." Tray in hand, Vanille shot Lightning a timid smile before shutting the door behind her and leaving the woman in solitude.

~XIII~

"Well now, what should we dress you in?" a new voice came from somewhere in the room and Lightning startled. Turning, all she saw was the bed and dresser. A muffled noise came from the wardrobe and Lightning moved closer to inspect it. She brought her face closer to it, peering with squinted eyes, and fell to the floor when its eyes opened.

"It isn't nice to stare, you know." It said as it looked down at Lightning. Its voice was feminine, and held a serious tone to it. "My name is Stiria, and that," the wardrobe pointed a door at the dresser. "Is my sister, Nyx."

Lightning should've been expecting for the furniture to talk, seeing as she already had a full conversation with a teacup earlier. She watched Stiria rummage around for clothes and pulled out an intricate outfit composed from a beautifully detailed blue silk sari-which Lightning assumed showed her midriff-a set of black under-layers, and a brown, leather pair of open toed boots.

"This is one of the mistress' old outfits, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you wore it." Stiria looked at Lightning, a slight expression of disdain etched onto her face as she took in what the woman was wearing. "Looks like you need them, too."

Lightning scoffed and folded her arms across her chest, turning away from the offered outfit. "Thanks, but I'm not going to dinner."

"It is required." Stiria said calmly as she laid the outfit on the bed before closing the door. A light rapping at the door broke the tension, and both Stiria and Lightning turned to see a small clock waddle in.

It cleared its throat before speaking. "Ahem, dinner is ready." With a short bow, it waddled out of the room, leaving the door ajar in his leave.

~XIII~

Fang was crouched on all fours, pacing in front of the fireplace. The golden tendrils on her back bristled and she turned to Vanille and Mrs. Estheim.

"What's takin' her so long? I mean, damn…I know girls are supposed to take a long time getting ready, but this is ridiculous!" Fang paused and settled into a crouch, momentarily resembling that of a large, mutant dog.

"Well…she only just arrived. She's probably trying to adjust to everything here…" Vanille said, clasping both hands in front of her as she looked at Fang. The girl could sympathize with Fang, as her first impression of Lightning had been, besides absolutely gorgeous, something along the lines of 'stubborn and unwilling'.

Fang had begun to pace again, and Vanille's pale green eyes trailed her movements. She was growing impatient and wouldn't hold out much longer.

"Fang…have you considered that she might be the one to fulfill the Focus?" Vanille asked in an attempt to ease the other's mind. Fang came to another crouching pause in front of the fireplace, the warm flecks reflected in her green eyes.

"Of course I have." Fang replied, casting the red-head a sidelong glance from her position near the fireplace. Fang had considered the idea since she first laid eyes on Lightning. There was something about the woman, something that Fang couldn't place her finger on…

"Well…good then! She falls in love with you and you with her, and poof!" Vanille made a motion with both hands and extending all fingers at once to enunciate the word 'poof'. "By midnight, you'll be human again!"

The clinking noise of ceramic against tile alerted Vanille of Mrs. Estheim's presence near her foot and Vanille looked down. "Vanille, things like this take time. This isn't a fairytale."

Vanille knew that the teapot was right. It wasn't as simple as a fairytale, although how Vanille wished it was, matters such as the one at hand did take time. But time wasn't on their side, they were ticking time bombs; the mark of the l'Cie tainted every one of them.

"I know…it's begun to grow arrows." Vanille said, green eyes narrowed at the white marking on Fang's right shoulder.

"What's it matter? She's gorgeous and I'm…well, just look at me!" Anger laced Fang's words as she whirled around to yell at them. Sighing, Fang turned back to face the fire and the woman pushed herself back onto her hind legs. Embers danced wildly in the jadeite eyes, which narrowed at the thought. Behind her, Vanille and Mrs. Estheim both exchanged surreptitious looks of concern.

Mrs. Estheim hopped forward, coming to rest at Fang's feet. "She doesn't seem like that kind of girl," the teapot glanced up at Fang, whose attention was still focused on watching the flames devour the wood. "She'll see past all that."

Fang let out a skeptical huff. "Yeah…and how do I do that?" She crossed both decorated arms across her chest and gave the teapot a challenging look.

From across the room, Vanille piped up and took a few steps closer. "Well, for one Fang, you could at least _try _to make yourself more presentable. Try not to look so…thuggish in your stance, straighten up." Vanille pushed Fang's lower back in, forcing the other to stand straighter. "Try gracefulness…you know, that thing called elegance?"

Mrs. Estheim vigorously nodded in agreement. "And when she walks in, give her one of your trademark smiles…but not too cockily. Now, show me a smile."

Fang contorted her lips in a twisted shell of a smile, and Mrs. Estheim drew back slightly.

"But don't freak her out even more, Fang." Vanille chided as she took her place next to the teapot.

"Impress her with your witticism."

"But be gentle."

"Shower her with compliments,"

"Yeah, but don't lie either."

Tip after tip, all contradicting each other gave Fang the strong desire to throttle them both. She grit her teeth and balled her fists in a poor display of self-restraint, but kept her rage hidden.

Vanille draped an arm across her stomach, holding the elbow of the other and placed her index finger on her chin as she thought. "Oh, and most importantly…" Finally able to take no more of this nonsense, Fang snapped.

"Enough!" she roared, lunging half-heartedly at the two servants. Her breathing was heavy as she glared at the two frightened faces and, realizing what she had done, instantly recomposed herself and muttered an apology.

Silence lingered in the air, neither Vanille nor Mrs. Estheim daring to speak for fear of another violent outburst from their mistress. A creak echoed in the room as the door slid open and all three looked expectantly at it. Fang was nervous and eager to see the woman again, but the feeling faded when the clock waddled in.

"Um, good evening." The clock flinched and backed towards the door upon seeing the enraged glint in his masters' eyes.

"Well, where is she?" Fang demanded, taking a step forward to intimidate the clock. Her anger spiked as the clock fumbled over his words, trying to form a plausible excuse.

"Ah, yes…you see, Mistress…the girl, she won't be joining you…as she said earlier, she's not hungry." The clock was in the doorway now, gears and springs ready to run. A vicious snarl erupted from Fang's throat and she darted out of the room on all fours.

"Fang, wait!" Vanille cried as she gave chase to her enraged friend, followed by the others.

~XIII~

A heavy slam on the door tore Lightning from her thoughts. She just wanted to be left alone, didn't they get that?

"Open this door!" it was the beast, it was Fang. The relentless pounding grated on her nerves, but she remained on the floor next to Stiria.

"What do you want?" she called over the hammering. The banging faltered and she could hear heavy breathing on the other side.

"I told you to come down for dinner!" Fang snarled, fists tightly held at her side and shaking with pent up anger.

"I'm not hungry." Lightning replied, not caring if Fang had offered or forced. She didn't want to have dinner with her.

Why that obstinate woman! Fang inhaled in an attempt to calm herself, and spoke again. "Will you come down for dinner?"

"I already said I wasn't hungry earlier. Learn to control your anger!" Lightning's temper was rising, almost at equal with Fang's.  
>"Fine, you can starve for all I care! If you won't eat with me, then you won't eat at all!" Fang whirled around and stomped down the hallway in the direction of the west wing.<p>

~XIII~

The doors cracked upon impact with the wall and Fang stormed in, swiping a boudoir and table out of her way, where they collided with a wall and broke. Fang slowed to a stop in front of a flat crystal pillar that emitted a pale glow.

It was veined with cracks and splinters were missing. Fang gripped both sides with clawed hands. The mirror pulsated, the glow surging slightly before diminishing into the weak light that it always held. Green eyes watched the images reflected on the hard surface.

"_You really should give her a chance," _Stiria said to the girl. "_As Vanille said, she really isn't so bad once you get to know her." _

Fang watched as Lightning turned her head, pink locks swaying from the movement, to look at the wardrobe.

"_You think that I'm going to give her a chance after she drags my sister off, threatens her, and then isn't even properly mannered towards me? Never." _Lightning was stubborn, Fang had learned, but even with that knowledge, what the woman had just said still affected Fang greatly. She groaned, removing her hands from the crystal and resting them on her knees. She dropped her head, letting it rest in the palms of her hands and let out a ragged growl.

"Of course…how am I such a fool? I can't…I can't go on like this."

**a/n: yes, I did use Eidolons for characters. It's weird to have talking wardrobes and teacups associated with Final Fantasy…but then again, this isn't really Final Fantasy right now, is it? So, in that sense, it's perfectly normal. **


	7. Harmonious

**a/n: I'm back. Spent so much time playing Final Fantasy XIII-2 and now I realize that my portrayal of Lightning is similar enough to her depiction in XIII-2, she has learned to ask for help and whatnot, knowing she cannot do things alone. I just wish there had been more Fang…but oh well. **

~XIII~

Lightning awoke to the dull thrum of thunder and the brilliant flash of lightning, the origin of her name. She marveled at its beauty, its danger, watching it lash the sky before fading. Yet the dull thrum of thunder wasn't the only thing that had awoken Lightning, there was a searing pain in her leg and a dull throbbing in her shoulder, where Fang had pierced her earlier. She had almost forgotten about them in the wake of all this surrealistic castle drama.

Slowly, she rose from the bed, head spinning and a wave of nausea rolling over her. What had happened to her? Was she that hungry? Lightning had gone days without food when she was a member of the Guardian Corps…hunger did not feel like this.

Had it been the black thorn bush she cut her skin against? Thinking back on it, it had left an odd cut that darkened immediately. She began moving, slowly this time and testing her limits. What would happen if she collapsed? There wasn't anyone around, and she had no clue where Vanille was. She would take her chances, and if worst came to worst, she'd crawl if she had to, to acquire medical assistance.

Her door seemed so far away, and it was work enough to cross the room. There was numbness in her leg, and Lightning knew time was short. If that thistle had been doused in poison, then wasting any more time would screw her over. Lightning began making her way down the corridor, using the wall as a support as she moved slowly, so as not to jostle the infected leg.

Her progress down the corridor seemed to take ages, and she hated not having mobility. She wasn't dependent on anything, or anyone. She had grown up that way. But Lightning supposed she could make an exception, if it meant losing her life to a bit of poison. She neared the corner, almost rounding it before colliding with a solid force that sent her staggering back. Looking up, she met green eyes.

"Lightnin'…" Fang's accented voice broke the silence first, and a flash of concern was evident in her eyes. "Lightning…are you all right? Etro, you don't look so good…"  
>"F-ang…Fang. I need an antidote." Lightning's voice was shaky, and grew shakier the longer they stood there. "Fang! Now!"<p>

Fang snapped to attention before nodding, and running back down the way she came, shouting behind her, "I'm getting Vanille."

Lightning nodded weakly, her health put in the care of Fang. Fang, who had one of the worst first impressions Lightning had ever seen; Fang, who didn't know charming from obnoxious; Fang, who barely knew who Lightning was. It was odd to help someone she barely knew, and Lightning was curious as to who Fang was in her previous form.

A new wave of nausea wracked Lightning's lithe frame, and she collapsed, her vision growing bleary and faint…and she saw Fang's paws come into view, and Vanille's shoes…and then black.

~XIII~

"She's lucky…Black Dhalia Brambles, nasty stuff. They're laced with natural poison, strong poison…it's a wonder she wasn't dead earlier." Vanille's voice cut through the dark fog that entombed her consciousness.

"But…what about her shoulder? I feel bad, Van…" Fang's voice this time, riddled with guilt.

_Did she care?_

"Hey…that'll be fine. Might leave some scarring, but it could've been worse…you could've dislocated the shoulder."

_Vanille needs to work on her consolation skills,_ Lightning mused silently, and her eyes still shut against the dim light of the room.

_Perhaps I should let them know I'm awake…that might ease Fang's guilt a bit._ Slowly, Lightning let out a false groan of grogginess, raising herself up on a weak arm. "Wha-what happened?" She raised a hand to her head, clutching at it, as if that would make the newly formed headache disperse.

"Hey, you're quite the soldier." Vanille said, bouncing over to the rose haired woman's side, a potion in hand. "Here, drink this. It'll help."

Slowly, Lightning took the vial in hand, raising it to her lips with a shaky hand, and tossing her head back as she downed the contents. A cooling spread throughout her body, and eased the aching of her shoulder and the throbbing of her leg.

"Thanks…what happened to me?" Lightning glanced down at her wrapped leg, a faint bloodstain bleeding through already.

"You ran into Black Dhalia Brambles on the way here, didn't you? They're the black thorn bush things throughout the forest." Vanille explained upon seeing the slightly confused look on Lightning's face.

Vanille took a quick glance in Fang's direction, noticing the quiet nature of the usually outspoken woman. Taking that as her cue to leave, Vanille said, "Well, I suppose I should go wake the others. It's almost time for their jobs." And with a quick smile and wave, the cheery redhead bounded out of the room, leaving Fang and Lightning alone.

~XIII~

Fang watched as Vanille bounded from the room, her green eyes following the exiting form of the young Pulsian, before turning to Lightning.

"How're you feelin'?" She asked, scooting closer to Lightning's side. Her tone was laced with concern, and her green eyes were widened slightly with worry.

Lightning gave the Pulsian a faint smile. "I'm…fine. Thanks, Fang." Lightning's voice was soft, quiet, and she looked at Fang with her arctic eyes. "A little weak, but, that's expected." The woman gave a soft laugh, coughing slightly when she did.

"Take it easy, Lightning. You just got rid of a poison in your system, don't push yourself." Lightning gave Fang a quirk of her head, her blue eyes soft, and a difference from their usual iciness.


End file.
